Tuesday, February 7

In the Learning Circuits Blog Wiki, our current topic of discussion is LCB and its future. We've just finished a year of activity on LCB that saw increased publication by the author team, increased participation by our readers through comments, and a five-fold increase in the number of visitors. So why examine what we are doing and consider changing what we do?

Simply, we're not sure that what we are doing is really serving those we seek to involve. One result of this "self-reflection" might be that we find out, everyone is happy and we shouldn't touch a thing. But we've had indicators that this may not be the case. The author team is struggling to balance LCB and the rest of their obligations and participation by others is sporadic.

Add to this the introduction of new capabilities through new technologies that have enhanced our ability to share and communicate with each other. We've begun to wonder if there isn't a better way.

One of the clear mandates that has come from conversations amongst the Blog Squad is that we need to involve you and the others who come to LCB to read and participate in the discussions held here. After all, this is your blog, your community.

So through this wiki and a soon to be posted survey that you're encouraged to complete, we want to know what you want from LCB. The more participation in this discussion, the better chance we have of making it a dynamic site you'll come to because it enhances you as a professional.

I and the Blog Squad invite you to join us in the LCB Discussion Wiki for a lively dialogue about making LCB a better LCB! When you enter the wiki you will have read only rights. If you would like to add your comments or change anything that appears on the discussion you need to login. You will find a button at the top of the page that reads "log in to edit." (When asked for a user ID and password, enter your name or a screen name for the user ID and "learning" as the password.)

11 comments:

I like the Learning Circuits Blog, I read it regularly but have only left one or two comments.

My background is as an eLearning Developer. I make the content that others have developed interactive. I am able to make suggestion on how to improve the content, but rarely have input into the budget or timeline.

I like to see what else is happening in the training world, but I don't always buy in with the idea that a wiki can replace formal learning.

I like this Blog because it doesn't just focus on topics of interest to universities or HR departments. I hope that others find the Blog helpful and that Learning Circuits continues with it. Keep up the good work

Anonymous, your comment ( "LCB and it's future" v. "LCB and its future" -- as soon as one of my users sees something like that, they stop reading ) intrigues me. Are you suggesting that your users would stop reading because of the general thrust of the discussion, or because they get flustered when someone uses "its" correctly?

hey Tony: great to hear from you and have you here on LCB! you thoughts are very much in line with what has been discussed, both in the wiki and previous conversations within the blog squad.

You're right about the use of polls. Last July I posted a flash poll aligned with one of our posts. the number of visitors skyrocketed for the few days the poll was live on the site. (unfortunately it was a free service that spawned pop up ads. the vendor didn't mention this in there site. so I had to take it down quickly.)

I'd love to hear what you had difficulties with in the wiki. I'm more than happy to make changes to make it easier to use. Feel free to contact me offblog if you have the time and are willing to share.

I actually just put in my comment above the only feedback I have/had.But, where would I have put it on the Wiki?

That's the whole issue with Wikis vs. Threaded discussions. Wikis enforce structure and assume you are working on producing a final group answer. We are much more in a brainstorming mode. I couldn't figure out where to add my comment.

As an infrequent poster, I would like to hear from LCB readers whether they are looking for "edgy" here or for "practical" here. If we were to do a mashup of the various blogs that our "authors" write, we would have a pretty good "edgy" view of what's going on in learning and e-media-supported learning. Readers would see a lot of questions being raised, and a lot of speculation about ways to solve current "edge" problems. If we wanted a more practical approach, we could maybe go for a Q-and-A approach. What are readers looking for?

Hi Ed: I'm not sure what you mean by "what did you consider success before you launched LCB?" do mean before LCB was launched in April 2002? Could you clarify? I have a feeling your question is significant, but needs a bit more focus in order to be answered. Thanks.

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The LC Blog is a community feature that Learning Circuits launched in 2002. The main feature of the LC Blog is its Question of the Month, which hones in on a priority topic facing learning professionals. Anyone--and everyone--can contribute to the LC Blog.

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About Learning Circuits

ASTD launched Learning Circuits in January 2000. Its goal was to promote and aid the use of e-learning, creating a body of knowledge about how to use technology efficiently and effectively for learning. There are nearly 800 articles currently on the website.

About ASTD

ASTD (American Society for Training & Development) is the world’s largest association dedicated to workplace learning and performance professionals. ASTD is dedicated to providing resources to practitioners working the field of e-learning. ASTD delivers the free webzine Learning Circuits, the ASTD TechKnowledge Conference & Exposition; two educational certificate programs on e-learning design; and numerous books and Infolines.